Which Is Your Moral Guide?

[Segep]

Everyone is familiar with the Golden Rule, but have you ever heard of the other three "Rules"? Here's how it was explained to me.

Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have done unto you
Silver Rule - Do not do unto others what you would not have done unto you
Bronze Rule - Do unto others as they have done unto you
Iron Rule - Do unto others before they do unto you

Think carefully about each one and what it means. In your opinion, which of these rules is the best one for an individual to follow in daily life, and why?


I chose the Silver Rule, because of the nature of causality and the problem of unintended consequences. How many times have you tried to help someone and made the matter worse? How many times has someone tried to help you with the same result? The Silver Rule seems to me to be about the same thing as the Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm". Like every rule, of course, there are times it was made to be broken. I do random acts of kindness when inspiration strikes, but for the most part I try (not always successfully) to mind my own business and not cause more problems.

[heyjude]

I guess it depends on what a person would want done unto themselves. I mostly want to be left alone to make my own decisions and goofs. If I want help, I'll ask. And that is how I treat others. That rules out doing things to people that they don't want done.

[Mare Tranquillity]

"HARM NONE" has served me well, it's very similar to your Silver Rule, but was promulgated by the Goddess Religion (or at least one version of the Goddes Religion).

[vyo476]

I went with silver. I've always found the Golden Rule a bit pretentious; what if others don't want to to have done unto them what I'd have done unto me? I can be a little eccentric at times and there are all kinds of lines that can get crossed with GR thinking.

[Coyote]

hmm...I chose the Golden Rule. Because it seemed more positive - it requires you to actively engage rather than passively exist. The Silver Rule, to me, treats people as if they were individual atoms, going their individual ways and doing nothing more then avoiding collission. To not do anything has the potential to allow evil through inaction. But I also figure...the Golden Rule doesn't mean you have to interfere - it just means you treat people as you would wish to be treated. With respect.

[heyjude]

A shrink once told me that he had to be very careful before giving people advice, because if they take it, he was responsible for the results. I don't want to be responsible for others, so I don't give them advise.

[Mare Tranquillity]

A shrink once told me that he had to be very careful before giving people advice, because if they take it, he was responsible for the results. I don't want to be responsible for others, so I don't give them advise.

Here, take my advice, I'm not using it.:)

[Popeye]

I choose the golden rule, because I leave people alone and want to be left alone.

[dahermit]

Being a Pagan, "I do what I want and harm no one".

[bewitched]

Indira's web is an old story about our every action.
like a big web, everything we do affects everyone else in some way. even if you think that you leave others alone you may not. when you flush a toilet you are affecting someone.

isn't the golden rule part of the theology of Christianity?

[Bunz]

Ive thought the golden rule was..."He who has the gold, makes the rules."

[bewitched]

Ive thought the golden rule was..."He who has the gold, makes the rules."

that's the Midas Touch.

[numinus]

Everyone is familiar with the Golden Rule, but have you ever heard of the other three "Rules"? Here's how it was explained to me.

Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have done unto you
Silver Rule - Do not do unto others what you would not have done unto you
Bronze Rule - Do unto others as they have done unto you
Iron Rule - Do unto others before they do unto you

Think carefully about each one and what it means. In your opinion, which of these rules is the best one for an individual to follow in daily life, and why?


I chose the Silver Rule, because of the nature of causality and the problem of unintended consequences. How many times have you tried to help someone and made the matter worse? How many times has someone tried to help you with the same result? The Silver Rule seems to me to be about the same thing as the Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm". Like every rule, of course, there are times it was made to be broken. I do random acts of kindness when inspiration strikes, but for the most part I try (not always successfully) to mind my own business and not cause more problems.

If I may give some advice, try looking at morality in terms of general principles or formulae rather than specific imperatives.

There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law - and sometimes, they indicate two very different things. When you follow the spirit, rather than the letter of the law, then you can do no wrong.

[Coyote]

If I may give some advice, try looking at morality in terms of general principles or formulae rather than specific imperatives.

There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law - and sometimes, they indicate two very different things. When you follow the spirit, rather than the letter of the law, then you can do no wrong.

You make an interesting distinction...I agree...

[WileE]

I choose the Golden Rule every time, because it means proactively having the right attitude about how to coexist with our fellow humans. It has nothng to do with going around trying to do things to or for others without being asked. On occasion, we feel the need to offer assistance to someone who is not asking for it, and end up getting rebuffed for our efforts. That's just the human frailty of crossed communications that happen from time to time, and the less often it happens the better. Part of the Golden Rule entails knowing when to mind our own business in the first place!

[purplebarney]

the golden rule is called gold for the exact reason that its correct. Carl Sagan presented this to USA and Russia when he mediated between them.
Choose the silver rule and we open ourselves upto subjective morals. the other two rules are a definite downward decline in human nature and human morality regardless of religion.

these rules have existed long before mainstream religion. The golden rule is the only logical approach to life. But in reality humans don't practice it. I wish to but sometimes I don't. sometimes i go with the silver rule. and at sometimes I go with the bronze rule. (i'm only human). if we all followed the golden rule 100% then we would approach utopia. this will never happen. but we should strive for it anyway

[Segep]

well said, for a socially-challenged, fuzzy dinosaur puppet. :P




j/k



Welcome to HOP! :)

[TruthAboveAll]

The Golden Rule. As others have said, it's proactive. But in a sense, it "rules" over the others, anyway.

The given: Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have done unto you

The flip side: Silver Rule - Do not do unto others what you would not have done unto you. Whether you are "doing" or "not doing", if it is as you would be treated yourself, it is two sides of the same coin.

The submissive perversion: Bronze Rule - Do unto others as they have done unto you. It implies passivity, with only a response occurring after the acts of others. It can be good or bad, dependent solely on those deeds.

The aggressive perversion: Iron Rule - Do unto others before they do unto you. Total lack of proactivity in a positive sense, the implied dominating position allows for no good actions. At it's extreme, and really stretching, it could be conceived as positive. For example - You know your friend is going to buy a sweater for you you both admired while shopping. So you dash out and buy it for her first, since it's the only one. Now you've just "done unto her before she could do unto you!" :cool:

[pocketfullofshells]

Do what I think is right....in one case it may be turn the other cheek...in another it may be shoot them in the back before they have a shot at you. I may do onto others things I would not done to me...may have done something I would never had done to deserve it.

[Dr.Who]

Indira's web is an old story about our every action.
like a big web, everything we do affects everyone else in some way. even if you think that you leave others alone you may not. when you flush a toilet you are affecting someone.

isn't the golden rule part of the theology of Christianity?

The Golden rule is older than the new testament.

But the version in the new testament is better. It says: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

First the action needs to include love. That leaves out the somewhat silly "problem" of those who would hurt others because they themselves would want to be hurt.

Next you love them not as you want them to love you. It is not a comparison of their love to yours but a comparison of your love toward yourself to your love toward others. The focus of the responsiblity is not on him but on you. You love them as you would love yourself setting the standard where it should be and affirming the equal value of all people.

[ilikeboobs]

Do what I think is right....in one case it may be turn the other cheek...in another it may be shoot them in the back before they have a shot at you. I may do onto others things I would not done to me...may have done something I would never had done to deserve it.

You sound confused, my friend.
:D